At least one employer is implementing an updated style for safety training as they grapple with worker safety. Greyhound shared some of their newer strategies for ergonomic success at a recent California convention. The new policy has reduced workplace injuries related to biomechanics by half in less than a decade.
Up until the year 2010, the bus business had used a familiar model of one-size-fits-all safety training. At the end of that year, the company had 745 injuries reported, mostly due to pulling, twisting, pushing and lifting. From 2010-2016, Greyhound decided to take a different route with ergonomic training.
The company hired safety experts to come in and learn the exact mechanics of each type of job in the agency. The employees were trained at their job location with an individualized training for various jobs. Since the employees were able to both see and feel the effects of using better body mechanics, by the year 2016, only 295 injuries were reported.
Bus drivers can face certain challenges to their physical well-being. They sit for long hours, then push, pull and lift passengers’ luggage in and out of the bus. Greyhound saw a problem and went in with a new strategy to fix it. The California convention succeeded in bringing the message of new safety solutions to employers and employees. Employees who feel the pinch of workplace injuries are entitled to certain legal protections and compensation, and a worker who has been injured on the job may wish to contact a lawyer before filing a workers’ compensation claim.
Source: businessinsurance.com, “Motivation, customization key to ergonomic success“, Louise Esola, Sept. 6, 2017
